Write/Read external files with custom extensions in VBscript

Question

How do you write or read to external files with custom extensions (like, instead of a .txt extension it could have .cyc for example) using VBscript?

I don't know how, and cannot seem to figure it out. For reading a file, is it possible to only read part of a file? For example, if I have a line

string1=Hello World!

inside of my file, how does my script only read from the string1 line and how can it assign the text value to a string in the vbscript file?

Then, how can I write a single value to my file?

To clarify, I am basically attempting to use external files as configuration/data files.

This is probably a really nooby question, and I am really sorry if it is.

EDIT: This is a two part question, I need to know the code to read and write files as specified above, and how to use custom extensions with it.

Answer 1

If you want to read and write from the text file at random locations, your best bet is to use INI files.

An INI file contains entries that look like this:

[owner]
name=John Doe
organization=Acme Products

To read an ini file, you need a function that you can call like this:

Dim s as string
s=ReadINI("c:\myfolder\myfile.ext", "owner", "name")

...which will put "John Doe" in s.

The code to do this is here: http://cwashington.netreach.net/depo/view.asp?Index=553

Writing the INI file works the same way.

Here is another example:

WriteINI("c:\myfolder\myfile.ext", "MySection", "MyItem", "MyValue")

creates an INI file that looks like this:

[MySection]
MyItem=MyValue

You can have as many different sections and items within each section as you want. All you have to do to retrieve the value that you want is to call ReadINI with the section name and item name of the value you want to retrieve.

Answer 2

All you should have to do is include the extension on the end of the filename, like this:

c:\myfolder\myfile.ext

when you open the file for writing.

Here is some sample code that opens a new file, writes a line of text to it, and closes the file:

Set myFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set WriteStuff = myFSO.OpenTextFile("c:\myfolder\myfile.ext", 2, true)
WriteStuff.WriteLine("Hello World.")
WriteStuff.Close
Set WriteStuff = nothing
Set myFSO = nothing

Here is the code to read it back:

Dim S as String
Set myFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set ReadStuff = myFSO.OpenTextFile("c:\myfolder\myfile.ext", 1)
S=Readstuff.ReadLine
ReadStuff.Close
Set ReadStuff = nothing
Set myFSO = nothing

There are some more examples at http://www.activexperts.com/activmonitor/windowsmanagement/adminscripts/other/textfiles/

Answer 3

The following class reads and writes INI files from VB.Net:

Class INI

#Region "API Calls"
    ' standard API declarations for INI access
    ' changing only "As Long" to "As Int32" (As Integer would work also)
    Private Declare Unicode Function WritePrivateProfileString Lib "kernel32" _
    Alias "WritePrivateProfileStringW" (ByVal lpApplicationName As String, _
    ByVal lpKeyName As String, ByVal lpString As String, _
    ByVal lpFileName As String) As Int32

    Private Declare Unicode Function GetPrivateProfileString Lib "kernel32" _
    Alias "GetPrivateProfileStringW" (ByVal lpApplicationName As String, _
    ByVal lpKeyName As String, ByVal lpDefault As String, _
    ByVal lpReturnedString As String, ByVal nSize As Int32, _
    ByVal lpFileName As String) As Int32
#End Region

    Public Overloads Function INIRead(ByVal INIPath As String, _
    ByVal SectionName As String, ByVal KeyName As String, _
    ByVal DefaultValue As String) As String
        ' primary version of call gets single value given all parameters
        Dim n As Int32
        Dim sData As String
        sData = space$(1024) ' allocate some room 
        n = GetPrivateProfileString(SectionName, KeyName, DefaultValue, _
        sData, sData.Length, INIPath)
        If n > 0 Then ' return whatever it gave us
            INIRead = sdata.Substring(0, n)
        Else
            iniread = ""
        End If
    End Function

#Region "INIRead Overloads"
    Public Overloads Function INIRead(ByVal INIPath As String, _
    ByVal SectionName As String, ByVal KeyName As String) As String
        ' overload 1 assumes zero-length default
        Return INIRead(inipath, sectionname, KeyName, "")
    End Function

    Public Overloads Function INIRead(ByVal INIPath As String, _
    ByVal SectionName As String) As String
        ' overload 2 returns all keys in a given section of the given file
        Return INIRead(inipath, sectionname, Nothing, "")
    End Function

    Public Overloads Function INIRead(ByVal INIPath As String) As String
        ' overload 3 returns all section names given just path
        Return INIRead(inipath, Nothing, Nothing, "")
    End Function
#End Region

    Public Sub INIWrite(ByVal INIPath As String, ByVal SectionName As String, _
    ByVal KeyName As String, ByVal TheValue As String)
        Call WritePrivateProfileString(SectionName, KeyName, TheValue, INIPath)
    End Sub

    Public Overloads Sub INIDelete(ByVal INIPath As String, ByVal SectionName As String, _
    ByVal KeyName As String) ' delete single line from section
        Call WritePrivateProfileString(SectionName, KeyName, Nothing, INIPath)
    End Sub

    Public Overloads Sub INIDelete(ByVal INIPath As String, ByVal SectionName As String)
        ' delete section from INI file
        Call WritePrivateProfileString(SectionName, Nothing, Nothing, INIPath)
    End Sub

End Class

Answer 4

Cyclone:

1. Create the folder c:\testarea.
2. Create a text file called test.vbs in the folder you just created, and paste the code below into it.
3. Double-click the test.vbs file to execute it. Notice that it creates a test.ini file in the same directory. Open test.ini and view it.

This code has been tested, so I know it works. I got it from http://www.robvanderwoude.com/vbstech_files_ini.php

      Function ReadIni( myFilePath, mySection, myKey )
    ' This function returns a value read from an INI file
    '
    ' Arguments:
    ' myFilePath  [string]  the (path and) file name of the INI file
    ' mySection   [string]  the section in the INI file to be searched
    ' myKey       [string]  the key whose value is to be returned
    '
    ' Returns:
    ' the [string] value for the specified key in the specified section
    '
    ' CAVEAT:     Will return a space if key exists but value is blank
    '
    ' Written by Keith Lacelle
    ' Modified by Denis St-Pierre and Rob van der Woude

    Const ForReading   = 1
    Const ForWriting   = 2
    Const ForAppending = 8

    Dim intEqualPos
    Dim objFSO, objIniFile
    Dim strFilePath, strKey, strLeftString, strLine, strSection

    Set objFSO = CreateObject( "Scripting.FileSystemObject" )

    ReadIni     = ""
    strFilePath = Trim( myFilePath )
    strSection  = Trim( mySection )
    strKey      = Trim( myKey )

    If objFSO.FileExists( strFilePath ) Then
        Set objIniFile = objFSO.OpenTextFile( strFilePath, ForReading, False )
        Do While objIniFile.AtEndOfStream = False
            strLine = Trim( objIniFile.ReadLine )

            ' Check if section is found in the current line
            If LCase( strLine ) = "[" & LCase( strSection ) & "]" Then
                strLine = Trim( objIniFile.ReadLine )

                ' Parse lines until the next section is reached
                Do While Left( strLine, 1 ) <> "["
                    ' Find position of equal sign in the line
                    intEqualPos = InStr( 1, strLine, "=", 1 )
                    If intEqualPos > 0 Then
                        strLeftString = Trim( Left( strLine, intEqualPos - 1 ) )
                        ' Check if item is found in the current line
                        If LCase( strLeftString ) = LCase( strKey ) Then
                            ReadIni = Trim( Mid( strLine, intEqualPos + 1 ) )
                            ' In case the item exists but value is blank
                            If ReadIni = "" Then
                                ReadIni = " "
                            End If
                            ' Abort loop when item is found
                            Exit Do
                        End If
                    End If

                    ' Abort if the end of the INI file is reached
                    If objIniFile.AtEndOfStream Then Exit Do

                    ' Continue with next line
                    strLine = Trim( objIniFile.ReadLine )
                Loop
            Exit Do
            End If
        Loop
        objIniFile.Close
    Else
        WScript.Echo strFilePath & " doesn't exists. Exiting..."
        Wscript.Quit 1
    End If
    End Function


    Sub WriteIni( myFilePath, mySection, myKey, myValue )
    ' This subroutine writes a value to an INI file
    '
    ' Arguments:
    ' myFilePath  [string]  the (path and) file name of the INI file
    ' mySection   [string]  the section in the INI file to be searched
    ' myKey       [string]  the key whose value is to be written
    ' myValue     [string]  the value to be written (myKey will be
    '                       deleted if myValue is <DELETE_THIS_VALUE>)
    '
    ' Returns:
    ' N/A
    '
    ' CAVEAT:     WriteIni function needs ReadIni function to run
    '
    ' Written by Keith Lacelle
    ' Modified by Denis St-Pierre, Johan Pol and Rob van der Woude

    Const ForReading   = 1
    Const ForWriting   = 2
    Const ForAppending = 8

    Dim blnInSection, blnKeyExists, blnSectionExists, blnWritten
    Dim intEqualPos
    Dim objFSO, objNewIni, objOrgIni, wshShell
    Dim strFilePath, strFolderPath, strKey, strLeftString
    Dim strLine, strSection, strTempDir, strTempFile, strValue

    strFilePath = Trim( myFilePath )
    strSection  = Trim( mySection )
    strKey      = Trim( myKey )
    strValue    = Trim( myValue )

    Set objFSO   = CreateObject( "Scripting.FileSystemObject" )
    Set wshShell = CreateObject( "WScript.Shell" )

    strTempDir  = wshShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings( "%TEMP%" )
    strTempFile = objFSO.BuildPath( strTempDir, objFSO.GetTempName )

    Set objOrgIni = objFSO.OpenTextFile( strFilePath, ForReading, True )
    Set objNewIni = objFSO.CreateTextFile( strTempFile, False, False )

    blnInSection     = False
    blnSectionExists = False
    ' Check if the specified key already exists
    blnKeyExists     = ( ReadIni( strFilePath, strSection, strKey ) <> "" )
    blnWritten       = False

    ' Check if path to INI file exists, quit if not
    strFolderPath = Mid( strFilePath, 1, InStrRev( strFilePath, "\" ) )
    If Not objFSO.FolderExists ( strFolderPath ) Then
        WScript.Echo "Error: WriteIni failed, folder path (" _
                   & strFolderPath & ") to ini file " _
                   & strFilePath & " not found!"
        Set objOrgIni = Nothing
        Set objNewIni = Nothing
        Set objFSO    = Nothing
        WScript.Quit 1
    End If

    While objOrgIni.AtEndOfStream = False
        strLine = Trim( objOrgIni.ReadLine )
        If blnWritten = False Then
            If LCase( strLine ) = "[" & LCase( strSection ) & "]" Then
                blnSectionExists = True
                blnInSection = True
            ElseIf InStr( strLine, "[" ) = 1 Then
                blnInSection = False
            End If
        End If

        If blnInSection Then
            If blnKeyExists Then
                intEqualPos = InStr( 1, strLine, "=", vbTextCompare )
                If intEqualPos > 0 Then
                    strLeftString = Trim( Left( strLine, intEqualPos - 1 ) )
                    If LCase( strLeftString ) = LCase( strKey ) Then
                        ' Only write the key if the value isn't empty
                        ' Modification by Johan Pol
                        If strValue <> "<DELETE_THIS_VALUE>" Then
                            objNewIni.WriteLine strKey & "=" & strValue
                        End If
                        blnWritten   = True
                        blnInSection = False
                    End If
                End If
                If Not blnWritten Then
                    objNewIni.WriteLine strLine
                End If
            Else
                objNewIni.WriteLine strLine
                    ' Only write the key if the value isn't empty
                    ' Modification by Johan Pol
                    If strValue <> "<DELETE_THIS_VALUE>" Then
                        objNewIni.WriteLine strKey & "=" & strValue
                    End If
                blnWritten   = True
                blnInSection = False
            End If
        Else
            objNewIni.WriteLine strLine
        End If
    Wend

    If blnSectionExists = False Then ' section doesn't exist
        objNewIni.WriteLine
        objNewIni.WriteLine "[" & strSection & "]"
            ' Only write the key if the value isn't empty
            ' Modification by Johan Pol
            If strValue <> "<DELETE_THIS_VALUE>" Then
                objNewIni.WriteLine strKey & "=" & strValue
            End If
    End If

    objOrgIni.Close
    objNewIni.Close

    ' Delete old INI file
    objFSO.DeleteFile strFilePath, True
    ' Rename new INI file
    objFSO.MoveFile strTempFile, strFilePath

    Set objOrgIni = Nothing
    Set objNewIni = Nothing
    Set objFSO    = Nothing
    Set wshShell  = Nothing
    End Sub
         '
         '
    Call  WriteINI("c:\testarea\Test.INI","Section1","Item1","Value1")
    Call  WriteINI("c:\testarea\Test.INI","Section1","Item2","Value2")
    Call  WriteINI("c:\testarea\Test.INI","Section1","Item3","Value3")
    Call  WriteINI("c:\testarea\Test.INI","Section2","Item4","Value4")
    Call  WriteINI("c:\testarea\Test.INI","Section2","Item5","Value5")